Childish Behavior
by roo17
Summary: Luffy's crew, along with Ace and Sara, stumble upon an island that at first seems harmless. But when theD Brothers go exploring by themselves and come back as kids, it's up to Sara and the crew to find a cure for them and get their memories back. AceLu
1. Chapter 1: Family

Childish Behavior  
>Chapter One: The Family<p>

**Summary: **_Luffy's crew, along with Ace and Sara, stumble upon an island that at first seems harmless. But when the two D Brothers go exploring by themselves and come back as kids, it's up to Sara and the crew to find a cure for them. One Problem? They don't remember leaving their island becoming pirates. AceLu!_

**Warning: **_ooc-ness, oc, takes place after Marine Ford? Slight AU. Franky and Brook will not be shown a lot, seeing as I can't really get their characters down…_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own one piece… or it's characters… If I did, MAGMA COULDN'T BURN FIRE! DAMN YOU ODA! FUUUUUU–

**xxx  
><strong>There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained." -Winston Churchill  
>The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other." -Mario Puzo<br>**xxx**

It was another boring day onboard the Thousand Sunny with no island in sight and no new inventions to try out, the crew sat around doing their own little things. Luffy looked down from the lookout tower to see what his crew was doing. Sanji, he figured, was most likely in the kitchen thinking of new recipes to cook up. Nami was also in the kitchen with her map and new log pose, probably trying to find which island was the safest to go to, much to Luffy's disappointment. Usopp and Chopper who no doubt together coming up new medicines and inventions to help the crew when in danger. Franky was either working on his new form or repairing the ship if it had been damaged from the last island they had come from. Luffy could hear Brook playing somewhere from the ship as he tried out different lyrics for new songs which Luffy found exciting to listen to. He spotted Zoro on the deck sleeping against a wall and Ace asleep on the grass as well. Wait, Ace…?

"Ace~!" Luffy flew himself from the lookout tower and landed on Ace with a giant hug, knocking the wind out of the logia user. He gasped for breath as Luffy then twined himself around his older brother in a tight rubber hug and Ace thought he was gonna die.

"L-Luffy… c-can't breee… breathe…!" Luffy just laughed and let go, allowing his brother to finally catch his breath before getting a bump on his head.

"Ow! Ace, what was that for!"

"Baka!" But soon the incident was forgotten and Ace pulled his brother into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Shishishi, I'm glad you're okay too." The crew all came to the deck, curious to see what all the racket was about. "Look everyone, Ace is back!" Ace gave a bow.

"Hello again. Oh, there are some new faces here."

"That's right. This is Robin our archeologist, Franky our shipwright, and Brook our musician!" But before anyone could say anything else, something flew over the railing and tackled the brothers to the ground. Looking to see what it was, they found it to be their sister Sara. "Oh, Sara!"

"Luffy, Ace! It's so good to see you're both alright!" As the three siblings laid on the ground glad to see each other, Nami noticed her log pose and a smile came over her face.

"An island's approaching!" As they neared the island, everyone grew excited. They haven't been on an island for a few days and were dying for adventure.

"You think there's gonna be monsters on this one?" Chopper asked, anxious to dock.

"Maybe! Who knows." Usopp grinned. Sara nudged Ace's arm as her and her brothers stood at the railing.

"How have you been, Ace?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the fast approaching island. Luffy went off and bounced over to Zoro to talk to him, leaving the two alone.

"Good. Pop's is doing good and so is Marco-"

"No, I mean how are you?"

"I'm fine." He placed his hand on his scar. "It doesn't hurt anymore. If you weren't there to close up my wound so fast, I wouldn't have made it." Sara's eyes darkened slightly.

"I thought it wouldn't work at first. I thought you were gonna die and there was nothing me or Luffy could do. Sigh, such a shame. You had the perfect body too." He playfully punched her in the arm and she chuckled. "So how's Whitebeard?"

"Good, he's back to his old self. Him and Marco want to see you and Luffy on their ship soon."

"So that's the reason you came for Luffy?" Ace nodded before glancing over at his little brother.

"But that's not the only reason why…" Sara gave a soft smile before sighing.

"Ace, you're gonna have to tell him sooner or later, you know. You can't keep it a secret much longer." Ace opened his mouth to say something but was cutoff. "It's been ten years. Just admit your feelings to him already." The fire user became annoyed at his sister's nagging and frowned a bit.

"Yeah, well what would you know about love," he muttered before realizing what he had said. "Sorry, that was uncalled for." She looked down at the ocean for a few seconds, thinking of an old friend of hers that died in her arms confessing his love.

"I know life without love is no life at all," she replied before smiling at Ace. "Ah, we're finally here." The island wasn't very big and from a quick look, it looked uninhabited by humans.

"It's a deserted island," Robin spoke up. "Kokoro Kinen island." Sanji puffed on his cigarette.

"Spirit Memory Island?" They docked the ship at the shore and before a meeting could be held, Luffy jumped off in excitement.

"Woo! An island!"

"Luffy! Get back here!" Nami called before Ace held his hand up.

"I'll get him." He jumped off after Luffy and Sara ran to the railing.

"Be careful!"

"Always am!" Ace replied before running off into the thick jungle. Sara went back to the group and suddenly realized that Franky's whole form had changed.

"What the, Franky… You're so… different." He did his famous pose and grinned.

"It's even more super now, right! Haha!" Sara sweat-dropped. _'I think you were cooler before…'_ After going through the normal routine of Nami lecturing everyone on being careful and aware, the crew split up and Sara volunteered to watch the ship.

"Are you sure, Sara?" Sanji asked from the shore.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I want to make sure Ace and Luffy come back safely anyway. Don't worry, I won't let anyone get close to the ship." Sanji nodded and continued on his way. She sat on the railing and swung her legs while singing a song called Shiver My Timbers. After she finished that song and started another called The Pirate's Song, she heard some leaves rustle and she stopped her music, staring at the bushes and was surprised at what she saw exit the jungle. The two boys stumbled for a second before falling onto the sand, leaving Sara speechless before jumping down and taking the aboard. "This can't be… Damn it." She sent seven different pieces of ice into the jungle to find the rest of the crew and bring them back quickly. When the crew finally made it back to the ship, they all gathered on the deck by Sara.

"What's going on? What was the emergency?"

"Did something happen?"

"Are the Marines here?" Sara nodded her head.

"Well, that's one reason I called. I saw a marine ship pass by and they were turning around to head for the ship. When we escape them, I'll tell you the other reason. Now let's go!"

"But what about Ace and Luffy?"

"They're already aboard, now come on!" She didn't try to hide her concern and everyone knew something was up. After they escaped their enemy, they gathered around her again, waiting for an answer. "Ace and Luffy exited the jungle, but…" She gave a sigh and rubbed her neck. "I-I think they drank from the fountain of youth," she replied and the crew stood there silently. "They're kids again."

**xxx  
><strong>**Chapter one. Done. Sucky? Accomplshed. So, what do you think so far? Should I continue? Should I quit it? Tell me! And yes, I will be updating Brother Complex, Girl Trouble, Depressed and Slavery For Life soon! Stay tuned~**

_The ice cold ice I liveth and inside the darkness I love  
><em>_~roo the ice vampir_


	2. Chapter 2: Childish

Childish Behavior  
>Chapter Two: Childish<p>

**Summary: **_Ace and Luffy are kids again, but that's no the only problem…  
><em>_**Warning: OC-ness. (I can't get young ace down :/)**_

**xxx  
><strong>I'm just a kid. Yeah, I'm just a kid. And I'm just a kid. I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare. I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair.  
>-Simple Plan (Just a Kid)<br>**xxx**

The crew continued to stare at her like she just grew a second head before the questions were fired. "What?" "Are you serious!" "You gotta be joking!" "How's that possible?" Sara held up a hand.

"Look, there _is_ a fountain of youth, but it's not what it sounds like. Robin, you know about it too, right?" She nodded. "The fountain of youth does indeed let you live forever… if you continually drink from it after a certain amount of years. See, it doesn't make you immortal, it just takes away ten years of life eery drink. You only get ten years younger. And that's not the only side affect. You lose those ten years worth of memories."

"Nani? So, Luffy or Ace doesn't remember us?" Sara shook her head. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well, for one, we have to trigger their memories back. Certain events, sounds, smells or even feelings will trigger all their memories back."

"It' just finding what triggers it is the hard part." Sanji puffed his cigarette.

"Exactly. That's why I want to warn all of you now. I spent a total of four years with Ace and Luffy, so I know what they were like when they were younger. Ace was not the Ace you know today. He wasn't very kind. He never wanted to lose, never backed down, and always protected Luffy. So here's a very serious warning: Ace was dangerous when he was young, no doubt about that. So do _not_, under any circumstances, try to approach Luffy. Ace's brotherly instincts _will_ kick in and when that happens, I'm not responsible for the damage he does to you. If you want to approach Luffy, you're first gonna have to earn Ace's trust, which means no weapons at all." She glanced at Zoro and nodded. "Don't attempt to feed them just yet, wait until I try to explain the situation them first."

"What if things go wrong?" Sara sighed heavily.

"Then we're forced to restrain them until they get their memories back. If we turn them back into adults before we do that, there's a 85% chance they'll never get their memories back."

"What! We could lose Luffy as our captain then?" Usopp shouted.

"But Luffy wouldn't turn us down, would he?" Chopper asked.

"There's a slightly chance he might… But I doubt it. I'll be back." As she walked to the men's quarters, she turned around once more. "Oh and um… Ace still might have his Mera Mera powers, but not know it. So if you anger him and flames appear, try and calm him down quickly. Otherwise, you're gonna have a burning ship. If you hear any loud noises, don't come down. I'll be alright, I can take care of myself." Brook stood there, a rather lost look on his skull.

"What are we gonna do if Luffy doesn't remember us?" Nami looked at the skeleton with hopeful eyes.

"Then we'll just have to make him remember us. We should start planning something for him to remember us." The crew gathered into the kitchen, determined to make sure their captain would be alright.

Luffy felt as if the ground around him was swaying and he slowly sat up, rubbing his tired eyes and giving a yawn. He sat there for a few seconds, staring at the wall when he blinked. The ground _was_ swaying. He looked around and instinctively reached to shake Ace awake. Realizing he wasn't in a bunk bed, he fell from it and landed on top of Ace, waking the boy up quickly. The freckled boy blinked a few times before looking around the room. This was _not_ their hideout and it definitely was _not_ Dadan's. Luffy sat up and pushed his oversized hat back onto his head. "Ace, where are we?"

"I dunno, Lu." Ace's body tensed as he saw someone enter the room before noticing who it was. "Sara?" She stopped where she was and closed the door behind her, giving a soft smile as her eyes fell upon the two boys.

"Hey Ace, Luffy." The smaller boy grinned, waving to her.

"Sara! Hey, where are we?" She looked to the ground and rubbed her neck.

"Um, about that… It's kinda hard to explain. M-May I take a seat?" She pointed to the bunk bed across from them and Ace nodded. She quietly took a seat and gave a sigh. That was when Ace finally noticed something different about her.

"You grew," he commented slowly, suddenly untrusting to the person across from him. Was this really his sister?

"Yeah, I did… Look, this isn't gonna be easy to explain, so please try not to interrupt me until I'm done?" She questioned. She got no response and decided to just go for it. "Okay, you're what, about 12 and 10? You guys aren't really that old, you're older," Ace looked at her like she was crazy. "Five years ago, Ace left the island to become a pirate. You were 17, Ace. Three years later, you left too, Luffy. You see, right now you're both really 22 and 20 years old." Ace's look darkened.

"You don't look like you're 20," he commented darkly.

"I know, I still look like a 15 year old. Ace, you're apart of the Whitebeard pirates and is 2nd in command to him. Luffy," she looked over to him who Ace now had hiding behind him. "You're captain to the Mugiwara Pirates, and this is your ship, the Thousand Sunny. You're both wanted pirates now. Luffy, you remember, don't you? Your bounty's up to 400,000,000 Berries, and Ace yours is up to 600,000,000 Berries. Luffy, do you remember?" The boy sat there quietly before shaking his head.

"I don't believe it." He plainly said. "Where are we?" Ace demanded.

"Onboard the Thousand Sunny, Luffy's ship. If you don't believe me, look over there," she pointed to the wall across the room where a few wanted posters hung. The one at the front showed Luffy's face and his bounty underneath it. "Those other posters belong to some of your crew members, Luffy." Luffy's eyes widened.

"Sugoi! Look, Ace! I'm wanted!"

"I don't believe it, Sara." He crossed his arms. "If we're really that old, how are we this young then? And why don't we remember any of this?"

"Because you accidentally stumbled upon the Fountain of Youth at the last island we docked at less than three hours ago. The fountain of youth allows you to become ten years younger with every sip, but erases those ten years worth of memories. If you still need proof, go on deck and look around."

"What if it's a trap?"

"Why would I set a trap for the two people I care for so much? I mean, I nearly killed myself twice saving you two," she chuckled. "And knowing you, Ace, you want more proof so I'll give it to you. You ate an Akuma no Mi yourself a few years ago. You remember what type it was?" He shook his head. "It was a logia type. Know the power you got?" Still another shake of his head and she sighed. "Oh… Well, it's the Mera Mera no Mi. Go on and give it a try. He held his hand out and concentrated on it before it combusted into fire. Surprised, he jerked back and caught the bunk on fire before Sara smoothly put it out with her power. Once Ace finally put his hand back to normal he looked at Sara.

"What just happened?" She chuckled.

"That's the power of the Akuma no Mi you got. It allows you to turn into and control fire. You even got a nickname from the Navy. 'Fire Fist Ace.' It suits you perfectly since you're a little fire-head." He stared back at his hand before looking at the small scorch mark on the bunk.

"Then, how did you put it out so easily?"

"Oh, that's my Akuma no Mi. Aisu Aisu no Mi: Type XV. It gives me control over water and ice. If I concentrate enough, I can create the coldest ice in the world and not even magma can melt it right away."

"That must come in handy," Ace commented quietly.

"It sure did, even saved your li–" She suddenly shut her mouth and looked to the side, earning a question glance from Luffy. "Never mind, just follow me. I'll introduce you to Luffy's crew." As she got up, the two boys followed her and she looked back at them. "And Ace, no killing Luffy's crew members. He loves them very much."

"I do?" Luffy asked, pushing his hat up again.

"Of course you do! Now come on, out ya go!" She pushed them through the door and onto the grassy deck, earning a few 'woahs' from the boys. "I give you the Thousand Sunny!"

"It's huge!" Luffy shouted, running around and looking at every detail of it. "Shishishi, it's amazing!" Ace had to admit himself, it was a really cool boat, but that still didn't mean he let his guard down. He heard another door open and turned around to see who it was, absentmindedly igniting his fist.

"Oi, Luffy, come here!" Sara called as the crew exited the kitchen and lined up in order. "Luffy, meet your crew! Your first mate and swordsman, Roronoa Zoro! His dream is to become the worlds greatest swordsman. Next is Nami, your navigator, who wishes to map the entire world someday. Then we have Usopp the marksman who wishes to become a brave pirate like his father, Yasopp from Shanks' crew. Sanji is your chef and wishes to find the All Blue one day. Tony Tony Chopper is your doctor who wishes to be able to cure all diseases. Nico Robin is your archeologist who dreams to find the Rio Poneglyph and discover the True History. Franky's dream is to create and travel with a dream ship that can experience countless battles, overcome extreme hardships and can reach the end of the Grand Line. And finally, Brook's dream is to be reunited with his cremate Laboon the whale." And as each members name was given, they held up their wanted posters proudly, well, all except Sanji who folded the picture out of view. Nami gave a smile and bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

"Oh, Luffy, you were so cute when you were little!" She complimented.

"He is. But I think Ace-san's more cuter with those freckles," Robin softly chuckled, and Zoro grinned.

"Of all the things I've been through with you, even I never thought you'd get into this much trouble."

"I just pray his appetite wasn't as big as it was when he was older," Sanji commented. Sara gave him a sorry look and motioned with her hands that, if anything, it was bigger.

"Does this mean I get to be captain until he's back to normal?" Usopp quietly asked before Nami hit his head.

"Eh, you were so small, Luffy," Chopper commented.

"I don't believe my eyes. Oh, but I don't have eyes! Yohohohoho! Skull Joke!"

"This is supa crazy… You're gonna be even harder to babysit now." Ace slowly approached Luffy, grabbing his wrist and keeping him close.

"He still doesn't trust us," Usopp spoke.

"Yeah, I told you he might now. He sorta had a brother complex around this a–"

"Oi!" Ace kicked Sara's leg in order to silence her, but found his kick when right through her leg. "What the…"

"Ah, sorry, I'm usually always on alert so I'm constantly in my Akuma no Mi mode. If you feel uncomfortable with that, I could wear a seastone bracelet or something."

"It's fine," he mumbled. He glanced over at Luffy who seemed to be trembling. "Lu, you okay?"

"S…S…_SUGOI~! _I have a skeleton and cyborg on my crew! Woo! Hey, can you poop? Can you shoot a beam? _Gyah!_ You're a musician aren't you! Ace, I have a musician on my crew! Woo! And a talking reindeer too! Sugoi! This is too awesome!"

"Shut up, asshole! I'm not happy~!" Chopper blushed. Franky chuckled.

"Yep, still the same 'ol Straw Hat."

"We prepared a feast in the kitchen hoping it would bring back your memories. What do you say?" Ace opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Luffy.

"Food~! I'm starving!" He rushed into the kitchen before his brother even had the chance to stop him, and his crew followed suit. He humphed and crossed his arms. He wasn't feeling hungry anyway at the moment. Sara crouched beside him until she was his height, also staring into the kitchen where Luffy and his crew were feasting away.

"You know I would do anything for you and Luffy, right?" He nodded. "Then you have to trust me, Ace. I wouldn't be doing this if it was going to harm Luffy in anyway." Ace remained quiet, still watching the kitchen.

"You were going to say something earlier, what were you going to say?" She gave him a questioning look. "Back in the men's quarters when you were talking about your Akuma no Mi. You saved my life once when we were kids, but you didn't have that power. So, when did you save me?" She looked back at the kitchen with soft eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it until Luffy gets his memories back." Ace gave a sigh, obviously frustrated by the whole situation.

"Fine." And he suddenly found himself in a warm embrace. He stood there, shocked. It wasn't like his sister to do this. Or was it? He couldn't remember, but he could tell it wasn't normal.

"I'm just glad you two are safe," she whispered before letting him go and standing up, grabbing his wrist. "Now, how about we eat?"

"I'm not hungry," he replied, looking the other way. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"All right, come on." She then proceeded to drag Ace towards the kitchen. He put all his weight on his heels and tried to release Sara's grip.

"I said I wasn't hungry! Oi! Let go!" She slowly continued her way to the kitchen, now having a hard time pulling along her brother. "I'm. Not. Hungry!"

"Yes. You. Are! You're being childish!"

"Maybe that's because I'm a _child_!"

"Just get into the kitchen!" Finally neither one was making progress and she turned on her brother. "Oi, do you want me to freeze you solid and take you into the kitchen like that? Because I will!"

"My fire could melt your ice!"

"Baka, my ice is un-meltable with your puny fire! You can't even control it correctly!"

"I can too!"

"Can not!"

"I said I can!"

"Baka, why do you always have to be so stubborn?" She froze the ground beneath him and he slipped his way into the kitchen where she sat him down in front of the meal. "Now eat! I can hear your stomach rumbling," she mumbled, earning chuckles from the crew. He gave a chibi glare before the aroma of the food took over and he started to dig in with everyone else. After a while, he looked up from his food and observed Luffy's crew. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, especially Luffy. Ace gave a quick gentle smile, happy to see that his little brother was enjoying himself.

If he really was on another ship with another crew, Ace was just glad that this crew had taken such good care of his little brother, even if they did all seem like jokers.

**xxx  
><strong>**Bad ending fail! Haha, so what do you think? Should I cut out my OC more? Should she hardly be in it? (When it comes to OC fics, I'm scared I put my OC in it too much… So tell me if I am!) Reviews please? (And I finally found out Ace's real bounty! It's 550,000,000 berries! So I upped it 50,000,000 because now that the world knows Roger had a son, I figured that would make Ace a little more wanted.)**

_Within the cold ice I liveth and inside the darkness I love  
><em>_~roo the ice vampire_


	3. Chapter 3: Uncertainty

Childish Behavior  
>Chapter Three: Uncertain<p>

_**Summary: Even though the crew looks trustworthy, Ace can't help but still feel uneasy around them.**_

_xxx  
>Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.<br>-Carl Von Clausewitz  
>Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.<br>-Dan Millman  
>xxx <em>

After the feast, Ace found himself outside on the deck watching the sun set on the horizon; the mixture of red, orange, blue, and purple entranced him and brought him into deep thoughts. He could he hear Luffy still partying with his 'crew members' and gave a sigh. It just didn't feel right to be on the ship, it didn't feel right to leave Luffy alone in a room with a bunch of powerful pirates who he didn't even know. His grip around the railing tightened. Nothing felt right at the moment, and Ace didn't like it. He was so used to being in control, being the one Luffy looked to for answers. But now, he had eight other people he was going to, asking for stories and adventures and anything else he wanted to know. Without even knowing it, Ace had begun to crack the railing with his grip. Too deep in his thoughts, he didn't realize the sun had set completely or that all the members of the crew had already gone to sleep, including Luffy. He looked up at the suddenly starry sky and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The stars always seemed to calm him down, that and the ocean always did. This whole situation was becoming so stressful. What was he supposed to do? He was just a kid who had been suddenly thrown into the New World with no ideas on what was going on. He grip tightened again. He just wanted to be back on the island with Luffy, where they could just be alone again, the two of them.

"I figured you'd still be awake," a quiet voice spoke from beside him. He jerked his head down to see who it was, spotting his sister. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you."

"It's alright." He looked down at the ocean before back up at the stars. "What are you doing up this late?"

"I'm the lookout until we can cure you and Luffy."

"But that may take months," he replied near bitterly, and she nodded.

"I know. Over the years, my body learned a survival trick to help me live through dangerous times. When I feel like I, or others close to me, are in danger, my body goes through a case of insomnia. Sometimes, it can last up to three months at a time." She smiled. "So don't worry about me. You should go get some rest though." Ace remained quiet for a while, staring at the ocean's horizon.

"Luffy…" Sara glanced at her brother as he spoke quietly. "Is he… happy?" Her gaze softened and also turned her attention to the horizon.

"Yes, he's very happy. You have no reason to worry about him. He's strong, stronger than he's ever been. In a few years, he may even be able to surpass you."

"Tch, in his dreams maybe." A cat jumped onto the railing next to Ace and he pet it. "Who's cat is this?"

"Oh, he's mine. His name's Radink." The cat rubbed his face into Ace's hands, emitting large purrs as his neck was scratched. "He's a good cat. For a while, he was the only friend and family I had." She gave Radink a quick scratch before noticing Ace give a large yawn. She pushed him towards the men's quarters with a chuckle. "Go and get some rest already. We have work to do tomorrow."

"Huh? We do?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna teach you how to reuse your Akuma no Mi and the crew is gonna teach Luffy his old moves. Now, off to bed." Without any more questions or refusals, Ace headed into the men's quarters and climbed onto a bunk, quickly falling asleep next to his snoring brother.

Morning came around quickly and Ace was shaken awake by his brother who seemed to be excited about something. Ace pushed him away and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace! Guess what we're doing today?" Luffy asked, his eyes practically glowing.

"Practicing our devil fruit powers?"

"Woah, how'd you know? You must be a psychic!" Luffy declared and Ace decided it was too damn early to deal with all of this.

"I'll meet you outside, Lu. Give me a few more minutes to wake up," he mumbled, laying back down with his arm over his eyes.

"Yosh! Oi, I'm ready!" Luffy called as he ran out of the room, leaving Ace to give a big sigh. After fully waking up, he made his way outside finally and spotted the crew all laughing and watching how excited Luffy was. Off to the side was Sara. "Oi, Ace! You ready to train? Cuz later today, I'm finally gonna be able to beat you!"

"Yeah right, a weak crybaby like you beating me is never gonna happen."

"Oi, Ace!" Sara shouted by the railing. "You ready for your training?" He nodded and made his way over to her. "Alright, come on." She jumped off the railing and landed on a path of ice floating on the water, making Ace stare warily at it.

"You sure this is safe?"

"Of course, would I lie to you?" Ace almost saw a mischievous gleam in her eye and gulped. He jumped down and landed along side her. "Why are we down here anyway?" They walked along the path until she made a mile wide area of ice for sparring.

"Because you're training is different from Luffy's. Where his power is rubber, the most he could do is punch a hole through a wall. You, on the other hand, have a fire power, and the last thing we would want is the ship catching on fire. Now," she faced him in a defensive stance. "Give me your best shot."

"Alright, Luffy, we're gonna try and explain all of your attacks that we've seen you do over the past few years and you have to try and mimic it, okay? Zoro's gonna start off first since he's been with you the longest and seen most of your attacks." Zoro stepped forward and looked down at the small boy.

"Man, this is weird," he mumbled quietly. Last time he had to babysit… No, he didn't even want to remember the horror of it all. He pushed the memory aside. "Now, what attacks do you already have?" Luffy grinned and clenched his fists.

"Let me show you."

_x x x Several destructive hours later x x x_

Luffy collapsed to the ground, panting desperately to catch his breath. Zoro set his bokken down on the side and gave a small sigh. Kid or not, Luffy was still as determined and reckless as ever. The thought put a grin on his the swordsman's face. He expected no less from his captain, the future pirate king. Luffy sat up and tried to stand, up Chopper set a paw on his shoulder. "You've done enough training for now, Luffy. Take a break and rest." Luffy nodded and leaned against the mast, still trying to catch his breath. God, he was exhausted. He looked around among his crew members before pushing his straw hat back onto his head.

"Where's Ace?"

"Right here," Sara replied as she hopped onto the ship with Ace in her arms, asleep. Before Luffy could ask any questions, Sara put her hand up to stop him. "He's fine, just exhausted." She set him down on the grass next to Luffy when Zoro and Nami looked at her.

"What kind of training did you put him through?" The navigator asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say I didn't go easy on him. At _all_. But still, he managed several hours of nonstop work. I expected nothing less from him. How bout you, Luffy? You feel any stronger?" He pumped his fists into the air with a grin.

"I feel like I could take on the world right now!"

"They both made it through one day of tough training." Robin spoke up. "Let's see how they do tomorrow as well." Luffy glanced at Ace.

"His training must have been really rough, I don't think I've ever seen Ace this worn out before. What exactly did you do to him?" Sara looked the other way and grinned.

"You'll see. If Ace isn't up to it, then I'm training _you_ tomorrow, and the crew gets to deal with Ace." Shivers ran down Luffy's spine at her tone before he yawned and laid down next to his brother, instantly falling asleep.

"They're gonna need some serious rest after today," the giant cyborg spoke. Brook nodded in agreement.

"Let's put them to bed." After sleeping hours away, the two brothers managed to awaken at dinner time and feasted like there was no tomorrow before going right back to sleep. Around eleven o'clock, Sanji went out on the deck to take watch when he noticed Sara sitting on the railing.

"What are you doing up?" He asked.

"I'm the lookout until Ace and Luffy are back to normal."

"But aren't you even a little tired? Even Marimo was a little exhausted after sparring with Luffy." She shook her head. He was surprised by this. "You should really get some sleep."

"I can't. Even if I were to lie there for hours in the darkness, even if I felt drop-dead tired, I wouldn't be able to sleep. So please, go get some rest, Sanji. I'll be fine."

The next day rolled around quickly and the brothers were allowed to sleep in till nine. Wide awake and ready for anything, they entered the deck full of energy. "Alright, so who wants to train with the crew today?" Luffy instantly raised his hand in excitement. It's not that he didn't want to endure Sara's hard training, but he found himself almost at home sparring with his new friends. Or, er, old friends. Ace glanced at Sara with a look of determination.

"This time, I'm ready for your training." She smiled.

"Good, because today, I'm won't hold back as much." And right there, she hit a nerve with Ace.

"You were holding _back?_" Yep, he was mad.

"Of course I was. You didn't really think that's all I had up my sleeve now, did you? I have to go easy with you because you're a child, Ace. If I put you through the same training I put myself through everyday, you'd be dead by the end of the day."

"Then why are you training _me_ if you're just gonna keep holding back?"

"I chose you over Luffy because you and I are both Logia-Type users. It's easy for me to teach another Logia-Type than a Paramecia-Type. And like I said, the only reason I'm holding back is because I don't want you to overdo it. I know you, Ace, and I know that you'll sometimes even use all your strength possible if it means winning a single fight. Now, if you want, I won't go _as _easy on you, but I will _not_ be responsible for any injuries you bring to yourself alright?" The logia user nodded and she sighed. "Fine, let's get on with it then." She jumped over the railing, Ace following right behind her.

"She didn't seem very happy about stepping up her game with Ace." Usopp commented.

"I don't think I've ever seen her frustrated like that, either. She's usually so patient and easygoing. Anyway, we can't worry about them at the moment." Nami looked to Luffy with a grin. "So, Luffy, you ready to spar with me and Usopp today?" Luffy took up his fighting stance and grinned.

"Bring it on!"

_x x x Later that day x x x_

"Well, I will admit that I am impressed you're as strong as you are for a kid. However," Nami and Usopp stood back to back as Luffy struggled to stand up again. "You're still a long ways away from being as strong as you were."

"D-Dammit…" Luffy stood on tired legs and he wiped the sweat away from his face.

"Don't feel bad, Strawhat! You did supa good!" Franky gave him a thumbs up and earned a grin from the small rubber man.

"Shishishi, thanks Franky!"

"You're speed certainly has improved," Brook commented, earning a nod from Sanji as he stomped out his cigarette.

"So, you ready for a round with me?" The cook asked. Luffy took a minute to think before speaking up.

"Could I have a quick snack first? I need some energy."

"Sure, I think I already have some meat cooked–"

"MEAT!" Luffy practically flew himself into the kitchen and began to eat the cooked meat in the fridge.

"I-I don't think I've seen him move so fast before," Chopper observed.

"No, we've seen him move faster." Zoro replied, remembering a moment in Alabasta. After two minutes, Luffy was recharged ready to go another round.

"Yosh, let's go!"

Ace glared up at his sister as she patiently waited for him to stand back up. His arms and legs shook from exhaustion as he faced her once more. He never thought his sister would have such a workout schedule. If anything, he expected this kind of exercise from that guy Zoro on the ship who was constantly lifting those crazy weights. Yet, looking at Sara, she wasn't even that muscular for a girl. Her biceps barely showed muscles, and her legs were that of a fit teenage girl. He didn't get it. "Ace, you're trying too hard. You have to relax. If you do that, maybe all your strong attacks will _actually make contact_. Here, let me show you something." She created a piece of ice in her hand and handed it to Ace. "Break it. Melt if if you have to." At first, he tried to break it. When it wouldn't break, he combusted his fists into a hot flame, yet even after minutes in the fire, the ice never shrunk. "That is level nine ice. If you were grown up again, your fire would have melt it. You were an expert at controlling the temperature of your flame. So that's what I'll teach you now." She took the ice from Ace's hand and made it disappear before creating another piece similar to it. "Now, break that one."

"Why, it's the same piece."

"Break it." He sighed and took the ice into his hand before snapping it easily between his fingers. "What the… But, it was the same piece of ice."

"No, that was level one ice. Now, what I'm trying to tell you is that all the flames you're creating now are wild, out of control. It's violent. I want you to try making calm fire, domesticated and soft. Try it." His vision blurred for a second as he fought to keep his stance. He already wasted so much power, it was hard to concentrate. He ignited his finger, but it was still violent, thrashing like there was a wind in the air. "No, no. Here, maybe this will help. Close your eyes and imagine you're somewhere peaceful, somewhere you feel calm and at ease. Picture that place." He did as told and imagined himself in a grassy field with nothing around him but the breeze and trees. And right by his side, Luffy was asleep. Ace grabbed his brother's hand and laid down with him, taking in the breath of the fresh spring air. And as Ace opened his eyes, he noticed the flame on his finger was still, almost like a candles.

"I did it…" He grinned. "Ha! No problem!" She chuckled and ruffled his hair. "See? I'm getting stronger every minute. You're training wasn't that hard." She grinned mischievously

"Oh really? I was still going half easy you know. Plus, it took all that concentration for you to make a single calm flame on your finger. Try making that fire calm while your whole _body_ is on fire." She pushed his shoulder with a finger and he fell to the ground. "Yeah right, my training wore you out. Tell you what, tomorrow I'll let you train out here by yourself on controlling your fire. If you manage to do it in a single day, I'll step up my training even though it's against my opinion. We got a deal?" She held her hand out and Ace shook it without hesitation.

"Deal."

**xxx  
>I swear, I didn't want my oc in this too much! But I failed and put her in the ending too much. I fail. Must. Make. Her. Un. Perfect! No. Mary. Sue! Q.Q So yeah, i can't believe you guys actually read this! I thought it would totally fail and no one would catch interest in it. So... *bows over and over* Thank you for reviewing! Please, tell me what you think on my oc! Don't be afraid to tell me she's terrible, because that'll help me to change her to be more acceptable! Thank you! *bows and bows and gives cookies to reviewers* <strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Accomplishment

Childish Behavior  
>Chapter Four: Accomplishment<p>

_**Summary: Ace trains by himself and Luffy finally starts to get the hang of his attacks again.**_

_xxx  
><em>_A good athlete always mentally replays a competition over and over, even in victory, to see what might be done to improve the performance of next time.  
><em>_-Frank Shorter  
><em>_Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.  
><em>_-George S. Patton  
><em>_xxx_

After the training sessions were over, Ace and Luffy went straight to their bunks to get some rest. Sanji lit another cigarette and grinned. "He's getting better right before our eyes."

"He always was a fast learner when it came to fighting." Zoro stretched his arms above his head and gave a yawn. "Maybe he'll regain his memory soon too."

"That'd be nice," Nami replied quietly. "It's not that he's fun to train with as a kid, I just miss our old captain."

"Yeah, it just isn't the same." Usopp looked out to the ocean. Everyone missed the old Luffy, especially since they had only been back together for such a short time. They were separated two years, then back together for less than a month, then this happens. Sara jumped on board and quickly made her way to the navigator.

"Nami, can we sail a little east of here?" She asked, pointing the said direction.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Well, just east of here is where Whitebeard was last spotted and I doubt Ace will be able to regain his memories on this ship. So maybe if he's back on the Moby Dick with Marco and Whitebeard, he might remember something." Nami nodded and turned to the crew.

"Alright, you know what to do." They got to work to change the ship's direction. After that was completed, Zoro stopped to ask a question.

"What if we told them about the war?" He asked, getting everyone's attention. "You know, that might trigger their memories back." Sara shook her head.

"No, I'd rather not have their memories returned like that. Luffy was in a painful state after he woke up from the war. He didn't know Ace had survived the attack and went running off destroying part of the island he was on. I don't want that to be Luffy's first memory, to remember seeing his brother's blood on his hands."

"I agree. For now, we'll just search for another way. As long as the marines don't find out, we should be fine."

"Right!"

_x x x The next day x x x_

Ace awoke with such determination, he was almost lighting himself on fire on the ship. He went out onto the deck before Luffy woke up and found everyone already waiting. Near the railing he spotted his sister and nodded to her. "I'm ready."

"Now, here's the deal. You train by yourself out there. The goal is to be able to light yourself on fire with nothing but calm flames. Take as long as you need to. You don't have to do any of the training exorcises I've been putting you through, just focus on your flames. Got it?" Ace nodded again.

"Got it." She created the path of ice again and he jumped down on it, running towards the arena.

"Be careful now! If you need anything, just give a shout!" Ace continued to run, finally reaching the training spot and got straight to work. Sara gave a sigh and grabbed her head, turning towards the chef of the ship. "Sanji, I'm gonna be in the kitchen. If you aren't sparring with Luffy, could you please keep an eye on Ace for me?"

"No problem." As she headed for the kitchen, he gave one last worried glance. "Are you sure you're alright?" She smiled.

"Yeah, just a little headache is all." She bowed. "Thank you." And before anything else could be said, Luffy busted through the door onto the deck with his arms in the air.

"I'm ready!" Nami sweat-dropped.

"Wasn't that the first thing Ace said when he came out?"

"Well, they _are_ brothers." Usopp reminded her. "Okay Luffy, today you're sparring against Franky and Brook." Franky made his famous pose.

"Alright Strawhat, let's do this!"

_x x x Five hours later x x x_

"Well, he's definitely getting better," Brook said, earning a nod from Franky.

"No doubt about that." Robin continued to read her book when Luffy walked up to her.

"How come I haven't sparred against you?" She closed her book and set it down to the side.

"My powers are a bit different from everyone else's. Against rubber, they're hard to train with." Luffy tilted his head.

"What do you mean? What's your power?"

"The Hana Hana no Mi. This is what it does." Arms sprouted from Luffy body and clutched him. "Tres Fleur." Luffy was bent backwards and he stayed like for some time.

"…Nothing happened." Robin chuckled.

"That's because you're made of rubber. If you weren't, I would have broke your back." Luffy gave a shiver before standing up. "My power wouldn't come in handy until tomorrow when we teach you dodging."

"We're learning dodging tomorrow?" Robin nodded.

"Tomorrow, each of us will take turns at attacking you and you must do your best to dodge or parry. And, if you do good enough, maybe we'll even attack at once to see you can still dodge us." Luffy seemed to jump with excitement at the idea.

"Then I'll finally be able to beat Ace!" Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far," he mumbled.

_x x x Meanwhile x x x_

Ace stomped angrily at the ice below him. Over the past five hours, all the progress he had made was being able to control the fire only on his two arms. The fire on the rest of his body flickered and raged, earning a frustrating growl from the boy. He'd never complete the challenge at this rate! He put the fire out and ran a hand through his hair, turning around to check on the ship. He blinked before realizing that his brother was at the railing watching him, waving his arms in the air and grinning like crazy. Ace stared for a second before his gaze softened and he turned back around, closing his eyes and imagining himself in a peaceful place.

Luffy was with him, they were together running through the Autumn's falling leaves. The mixture of the orange, red, and yellow leaves that fell quietly in the soft breeze reminded him of his fire, and Luffy was his life, the thing he wanted to protect more than anything in the world. Ace lifted his hands up to catch the leaves and realized how soft and light they really were, and how beautiful they could be when the time was taken to inspect them. And because it was Autumn, he could already see some of his breath in the air. His hand traveled to his mouth to see the mist, then looked back at the sky where the first flakes of snow were falling. And when he looked around him, the colored leaves were gone and were replaced with the whiteness of soft snow; the trees already bare and naked with glistening snow. Luffy was in the snow making a snowman and Ace soon found a snowball splattered on his face. Before he could retaliate, the season melted into spring and he was surrounded by flowers and he stood there in awe. Luffy ran around him with his arms in the air while laughing, and when summer came, Luffy laid in the grass asleep. Ace finally understood what his sister meant. He truly felt peaceful at the moment, watching his brother just be himself while running around. Then autumn came around again and Luffy was running through the falling leaves again, the orange and red and yellow surrounded Ace like a tornado. He never felt so at peace…

Ace's eyes slowly opened and he slowly gave a grin. His whole body was nothing but calm flames, nearly as still as the surface of a lake. He did it, he completed the challenge. Putting the flames out, he headed towards the ship feeling accomplished. Once he got back onto the deck, he was met with a glomp from Luffy. "Ace! I finished my sparring for now! We're finally moving onto dodging tomorrow. I've grown way stronger now!" Ace noted how cute Luffy looked when he was so excited and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Alright, congrats, Lu! But guess what," Ace gave a grin. "I've also grown a lot stronger." Luffy crossed his arms and headed back towards the crew.

"Yeah, well, I'll still beat you in a spar!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"W-What's that, Usopp? You need me to help you?" Luffy asked, running over to Usopp and Ace chuckled. He looked around for his sister and walked over to the swordsman.

"Do you know where Sara is?"

"She's in the kitchen," the cook spoke up. Ace gave a nod, still a tad wary. Heading into the kitchen with his head held high, he spotted the green-haired girl with her head buried in her arms at the table. He made his way over to her quietly to see if she was okay.

"Finished training already, Ace?" He blinked. He was almost sure he didn't make any noise entering the room.

"How did you…"

"You've forgotten that my hearing rivals a cat's, and that speed is my strongest point." She lifted her head up from the table to take a look at Ace. He noted her eyes seemed rather dark and tired. "Alright, let me see it." He nodded and without a moments hesitation, he lit himself on fire with flames so calm and smooth. She chuckled. "Took you long enough to get it down." He simply rolled his eyes and returned to normal, sitting at the table with her.

"You finally get some sleep?" She shook her head. "How long have you been awake already?"

"Bout a month and a half. How are you doing? You still don't seem to trust the crew all that much." He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "They're not gonna hurt Luffy. So stop worrying about that." He nodded and got up to leave the kitchen when she spoke up once more. "Oh and Ace?" He stopped. "Good job." He grinned, feeling even more proud of himself as he left the room. Sara herself smiled before getting up to follow, hoping maybe some fresh air would help her clear her mind. She entered the deck and listened as Ace boasted his accomplishment to Luffy, even showing his brother what he meant. Luffy was amazed, of course, and even the crew gave him a few praises. But as Sara yawned and stretched her arms out, she heard Zoro say something she had forgot to warn them about. In fact, it _should_ have been the number one thing not to bring up when Ace was around. Zoro smirked and she found it was too late to stop him.

"Well, he _is_ the son of Roger."

**xxx  
><strong>**Well… hope it wasn't too bad. Once again, thank you for the reviews! *bows* You all deserve cookies! Cookies for everyone! *eats one* They're good**


	5. Chapter 5: Attitude

Childish Behavior  
>Chapter Five: Attitude<p>

_**Summary: Ace's attitude starts to act up and his sister's nerves are running thin.  
><strong>__**Warning: ooc-ness. Lot of OC.  
><strong>__**Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics in this song. (Take Me Away by Globus)**_

_**xxx  
><strong>__**The blood became alive when i was trapped inside and I can feel the dark passenger calling me. My mother's blood and mine uniquely intertwined. Father, help me put your memory from my mind. My hunger to destroy when i was just a boy, it pulled me deeper into something that I now enjoy.  
><strong>__**-Disturbed (Old Friend)  
><strong>__**xxx**_

The crew laughed at Luffy's acting, oblivious to the danger they were now in. Ace's grin fell from his face and his eyes darkened quickly, his fists curling tightly and the air around him thickened. The crew instantly noticed the change and Luffy gave a gulp. He had only seen Ace get like this a few times, and in those few times, things did not end well at all. In fact, they usually ended with bloodshed. Ace slowly turned around and faced the green-haired swordsman with such a dark look, it gave him the shivers. _'This kid… What the hell is that look?'_ Ace gave a low growl and Luffy gulped, looking towards Sara for help.

"What.. did you just say?" Zoro stared down at the boy and gulped. That look, it was so dark. This didn't seem like their normal, kind Ace they were used to. This was a look that the devil himself would give someone. Sara stepped up, a rather calm look upon her face.

"He said 'Bee is the Fun of Dodger. It's an old saying from an ancient book, meaning–"

"Shut up!" Ace yelled, turning towards his sister sharply. "How did he know!" Sara averted eye contact, thinking about how to word her sentence correctly. Before she could answer, Ace turned-on Luffy, grabbing him by the collar. "You! You told them, didn't you!" Luffy tried to break his brother's grasp.

"N-No! I didn't, Ace! I swear!"

"You're lying! Unless you told them, Sara!" He glared at the girl and she took in a deep breath. Emotions frayed, Ace threw down Luffy and grabbed a pipe-like weapon he found aboard the ship the other day and swung at the swordsman. Bringing out his sword to parry the attack, Zoro let out a 'tch' at the impact.

"For a kid, you're awfully strong!"

"Who told you! Was it you, Luffy?"

"Luffy didn't tell them," Sara growled, catching Ace's attention before he could strike anyone again. "Two years ago, the three of us were caught up in a battle- a war- that created a lot of events that are happening today in the New World. During the war, an admiral found out your status: the sun of the pirate king Gol D. Roger. And right before the war start, he announced this to the world. That's why your bounty rose 50,000,000 berries." She glanced at Ace with a rather annoyed and dark look who seemed to be trembling from anger and she grabbed her head with a sigh. She wasn't feeling well, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with Ace at the moment.

"How did the marines find out? Did… Gramps…" Ace snapped his attention towards the crew. "What war were we fighting in? How did the admirals even know we'd be fighting! Dammit! Now the whole world knows… Dammit!" Ace hit the mast which rumbled slightly and in frustration, went to do it again but was stopped when instead of hitting the mast, he hit Sara in the arm, finding it solid and not ice. He looked up and she grabbed his wrist, dragging him over to the bathroom. He tried to release her grip, but it was futile.

"Come with me, _now_." As she dragged him out of sight, he gave a curse under his breath. The crew stood there, stunned. Luffy kicked at the grass below him.

"I guess Sara forgot to tell you, huh. It's a sensitive subject, one that shouldn't be brought up around Ace."

"Ace… I can't believe he used to be like that. He's so different than the Ace we knew." Nami looked down at Luffy who seemed a little distraught and her look softened. "Hey, how bout we cook you up something to eat? I bet you're hungry after all that training." Luffy instantly brightened up.

"Really?" The crew grinned and nodded, heading to the kitchen. "Awesome!" He glanced in the direction his brother was dragged and nodded. If anyone could calm Ace down, he knew it Sara could.

She pushed him into the bathroom and locked the door, leaning against it so Ace couldn't try and escape. He glared up at her and before he could say anything, he motioned towards the bath. "You should clean up, you haven't bathed since you got on the ship. Don't worry, I won't look." She created a chair of ice with a sweep of her hand and sat down facing the door to keep her word. "The hot water will also help you mellow out." The freckled boy gave a growl but complied, seeing as his sister wasn't in any mood of arguing. He stripped and entered the hot bath, feeling his tense muscles loosen almost immediately. He leaned into it, letting out a breath and Sara gave a quiet chuckle. "You really are like Roger…" He peeked an eye open, and stayed there in silence a while just staring at the reflection in the water. Roger. Just hearing that name sometimes made his blood boil and made him feel disgusting. He carried that monster's blood in his veins, the same blood as that demon. But, he also thought, he carried the blood of his mother too, which was angel. But still, the thought of that demon's blood running through him always pissed him off. He splashed the surface of the water.

"It must have been some war," he started, and Sara slightly stiffened. "Something bad happened in that battle, huh." Sara made no move to reply. "You've changed since I remember you last. But, of course, you were only eight."

"A lot of things have changed," she muttered quietly. "I've been through a lot, Ace, in the past nine years. And I won't deny I've seen things that still sometimes haunt me, but I always looked forward to the day when I would see you two again. But never did I think it would be in the middle of that battle." She went silent and Ace glanced her way.

"What were we fighting for?" He was met with silence.

"…Someone very important to us." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she grabbed her arm where Ace had hit her earlier, already finding a giant bruise on it. She leaned into her chair and stared at the ceiling. "I wrote a song after that battle, when we went our separate ways again. Do you want to hear it?" Ace nodded, also leaning into his seat and found music fill the air. "Don't worry, the music is from my ice. It won't hurt you." The music was soft and quiet as it played in the room.

_"Kneel in silence alone. My spirit bares me, pray for guidance towards home in darkest hours."_ Ace found the music almost comforting. _"Kneel, dream within dream we travel. In silence, empires of faith unravel. Alone, sealed with out virtues' treasures. Kingdoms falling down, who's hand commands this thunder? In silence, cry as we're torn asunder. Alone, unto what gods do I call? Protect us in our fall." _Ace glanced at his sister as her song continued, making sure he took in every single word as it was sung. _"Away my soul wandered. Borne by grace, I flew on high, sheltered from this thunder. Calling heaven." _And suddenly, the music was more upbeat, no longer calm and soothing.

_"Take me away from time and season, far far away we'll sing with reason. Prepare a thrown of stars above me, as the world once known will leave me. Take me away upon a plateau, far far away from fears and shadows. Strengthen my heart in times of sorrow, light the way to bright tomorrows." _Sara sat up at this point, her hands curled in fists. _"Answer our call in desperate hours, shelter our fall from earthly powers. Temper our souls with flame and furnace, bear us toward a noble purpose. Heaven hides nothing in it's measure, mortal men blinded by false treasure. Formless and vanquish we shall travel, shield and sword will guide our battle."_ Ace stared at the girl with concentration, trying to figure out how she came up with a song like this, seeing as it wasn't exactly her 'style'.

_"Take me away from time and season, far far away we'll sing with reason. Prepare a thrown of stars above me, as the world once known will leave me. Take me away upon a plateau, far far away from fears and shadows. Strengthen my heart in times of sorrow, light the way to bright tomorrows. Heaven hides nothing in it's measure, mortal men blinded by false treasure. Formless and vanquish we shall travel, shield and faith will guide our battle. Salvation comes in desperate hours, angels on high proclaim these powers. Lead us from chaos we shall follow, bear us to a bright tomorrow."_ Ace stared at his sister in awe as she sat there in silence.

"What inspired you to write that?" He asked, and she glanced in his direction, her eyes hidden.

"You." She turned towards him with a blank face. "That song was from your point of view during the battle. At least, in my mind it is." She turned back toward the door and grabbed the knob. "Finish up. I'll meet you on the deck." She exited the room quietly, leaving Ace to think about todays events.

"What… happened during that battle?" He tried desperately to remember, but his mind came up with a blank, frustrating him more.

In the kitchen, Luffy was chowing down on the food, regaining his strength with every meal he finished. The crew ate more slowly though, thinking of what just happened on the deck. They had no idea Ace had such a temper when his father was mentioned, nor did they realize just how strong he had been as a boy. Plus, they had noticed a drastic change in Sara. From the time they had known her, she had always smiled and kept everyone happy and cheery. She was also shy and hardly spoke up, usually just hanging around her brothers. But a few minutes ago, they had seen her frustrated side that they found to be almost dangerous. They knew she was wanted, but they never did get to see her dark side, and after today, they didn't know if they wanted to. Luffy slurped up some noodles before finally stopping, grabbing a plate and piling food on top of it. The crew sent a questioning look to their captain and he just grinned. "I have to save Ace a plate, he'll be hungry when he gets out."

Once Ace was done, he headed back to the deck where he met Luffy and Sara again, and ended up with two sponges in his face. "Sponge fight!" Luffy yelled and Sara tossed another sponge up in the air with a grin. "Ace, you're it." Ace stood there for a second before picking up the sponges and firing them back with full force, and now a sponge war was happening on deck. They exchanged blows, laughs and even a trace of blood- Ace had launched a sponge at Luffy's face that was doing at least twenty-five mph- that night and each agreed it would be a night they never forgot. The next morning they awoke happily to the bright morning sun, the events of yesterday already forgotten and the crew was ready for another sparring match. But their plans were cut short when Zoro shouted from the lookout tower about an incoming ship.

And to make it worse, it was a Marine ship. Just their luck.

**xxx  
><strong>**I know it sucked! Don't kill me! *hides behind brick wall with her ice powers protecting her**


End file.
